


Shards in the Nexus: Carmilla

by Dimensional_Nexus



Series: Shards in the Nexus [1]
Category: Carmilla (Web Series), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Crossover, F/F, Incomplete ideas given a home
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-11
Updated: 2018-02-10
Packaged: 2019-02-13 09:55:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12981561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dimensional_Nexus/pseuds/Dimensional_Nexus
Summary: A collection of ideas that haven't been fully fleshed out but I wanted to put down. Descriptions in the summary are for the idea as a whole. Each chapter is a single scene/chapter, occasionally with a tease for the larger story.Ch. 1: Hellfire (AU): She wasn't afraid of Hell, she'd already been.Ch. 2: Sand and Blood (Mad Max AU): At the end of the Green was an endless ocean of sand, and the end of Mother's influence.Ch. 3: Responsibility (Spider-Man AU): She'd come to Silas to get away from the troubles back home. Too bad they'd followed her.Ch. 4: An Old Friend (Marvel CU AU): He'd been gone for so long that she barely believed he was actually here, much less in one piece.Ch. 5: Choice (AU/possible Castlevania AU): "Laura, I can help you, but you have to decide. Live or die?"





	1. Hellfire

**Author's Note:**

> So, inspired by various authors, I'm posting a collection of WIP. I'm going to try and flesh them out the best I can, but I thought it was a shame to just let what I thought were cool ideas go to waste in my head if I never end up doing so. If anyone wants to use an idea, go ahead, just tell me so I can read it.

"Hey there, Kitty."

 

Carmilla bolted upright at the sound of her "brother's" voice. He was standing in the middle of the room between her and Laura's beds, clearly positioned to take advantage if she tried anything, "What the hell are you doing here?"

 

"Well, considering your roommate is still alive and making trouble for Mother..." Will left the sentence hanging, taking a step towards Laura's bed.

 

"Take one more step and I'll make sure it's your last," she growled.

 

"Maybe, maybe not, but not before she's dead."

 

"And risk pissing off Mother? You really are an idiot."

 

"At this point, I think she'd thank me."

 

"Or, you know, you could leave and we could get back to sleep, asshat," Laura grumbled, rolling over and glaring at Will.

 

"Ooh, feisty! No wonder you're smitten, Kitty," Will smiled at Carmilla, something predatory in his eyes.

 

"Yep, feisty, totally appreciate the compliment, and get the threat loud and clear. Now leave, or I'll make you leave," Laura shot back, now more fully awake and clearly unhappy at the prospect.

 

"Will you now? Big talk, shorst-"

 

Will hadn't looked away from Carmilla, firm in his belief that turning his back on Laura wasn't likely to result in much and enjoying taunting his sister. What he hadn't anticipated was the feeling of cool metal pressed into the base of his skull. Two round metal objects, side-by side.

 

"Kitty, please tell me your roommate isn't dumb enough to have a gun to my head?"

 

"It's a shotgun in case you were curious. Hey, Carm, you think LaF would want to see a vampire try to regrow their brain?"

 

"They'd probably need to be left alone for a bit with just the offer."

 

"You think I'd be used to the innuendo by now," Laura muttered under her breath, shaking her head. Despite the situation, a small, satisfied smirk still made it way onto Carmilla's face.

 

"I really hate it when people talk like I'm not even in the ro-" Will was cut off once again as he spun to grab the gun and was treated to a nasty surprise in the form of its barrels being hot enough that he couldn't let go without leaving skin behind. He felt the heat move in front of his face and reeled away on instinct. Laura rose from the bed and used that instinct to herd him to the window. When he finally looked up from the awful burns across his hand and at her, his eyes widened as he took in the weapon in her hands. Pointed right between his eyes was a sawn-off, double-barreled shotgun, that much he'd gathered, but what surprised him was the gun's appearance. The metal looked like rough, scorched iron, the barrels cracked with what looked like molten metal flowing through said cracks, the wood of the handle was blackened as well, and instead of the puckered ends of a pair of shotgun shells down the barrels he saw roiling flame held back by some force, waiting to be released. The more he stared at the flames, the more he felt the heat in his own head, his mind flaring with pain.

 

"One more chance, out the window by choice or by force," Laura said, her voice and hand steady as stone. Her eyes were hard as they bored into his own and for a second he thought he could see the same mind-searing flames in them. He thought about her offer, but his own pride and what he knew was waiting for him with Mother should he fail spurred him to try again. This time he went for the wrist holding the gun with one hand and her throat with the other. Unfortunately for Will, Laura may not have been faster than him, but she was much better at reading people. As soon as his arm so much as twitched, she pressed the superheated barrels into the bridge of Will's nose, causing him to scream in pain and pull away. She reached past him and opened the window with her free hand, Carmilla's penchant for late-night stargazing and fresh air meaning it wasn't locked. When he recovered and lunged again she changed her aim slightly and fired right next to his ear. There was a deafening _BOOM_  and a gout of fire exploded into the night. Will collapsed to his knees, hands pressed to his ears. She flipped the gun around so she was holding it by the barrel and slammed the handle into his temple. He crumpled and she hoisted him to his feet, shoving his upper half out the window before bending and grabbing him behind the knees. With a mighty shove, she flung him out of their room, as promised, and slammed the window shut again.

 

"Holy shit, Laura," Carmilla whispered, breathless, her own hands finally dropping from her ears. She'd been lucky and observed the muscles in Laura's arm tense in preparation before she'd pulled the trigger.

 

"I warned him," she said simply, shoulders slumping with tiredness. She just wanted to go back to bed. Instead, she tossed her shotgun next to Carmilla's bed, and bent to retrieve her roommate's container of "soy milk."

 

"The hell?" Carmilla muttered, too quiet for Laura to hear, as she peered over the edge of her bed and saw just a normal shotgun. No heat-blackened metal or wood, and no molten crevices. By the time she looked back up, Laura had used her blood supply to draw some kind of glyph on the window. "Whatcha' doin' there, cutie?" she asked, forcing a casual tone in her voice despite how honestly freaked out she was at the moment.

 

"Need sleep, no more interruptions," she replied, finishing her drawing and snapping, a tiny flame now dancing on the tip of her index finger. She touched the fire to the blood and it burned like gasoline for half a second. When the fire burned out, the glyph was burned into the window and Carmilla felt...something settle over her.

 

"What, uh, was that?"

 

"Seal. No one in, no one out. It's a bit much, but don't tell me you're not getting exasperated with people just coming in."

 

"Not entirely their fault there, Creampuff."

 

"Noted, now shove over," she mumbled, and, when Carmilla didn't immediately comply, shrugged and flopped into bed next to the surly vampire. She raised her still blood-covered finger to Carmilla's face and she was taken aback for all of a second before she accepted the midnight snack. After she was done, Laura took back her hand and snuggled into her roommate.

 

"Umm, what are you doing?"

 

"I'm sleepy and, because of your 'brother', I'm not currently on my side of the room. Do you see how _far away_  my bed is now?" She flailed in the general direction of her bed, less than ten feet away, and then wrapped her arm back around Carmilla's midsection, seemingly settled in for the night.

 

"You are such a dork."

 

"Are you complaining about free snuggles? 'Cause that's just wrong."

 

"I apologize for my brother's rude actions. If this is the punishment I must endure, then I shall accept it with dignity," she replied, her voice taking on a faux-solemn tone even as she smiled and settled herself as well, "I shall endeavor to impress upon him the seriousness of his offense at a later date."

 

"See that you do."

 

* * *

 

Much later...

 

Laura slowly hauled herself to her feet. "Consumed the soul of its wielder" apparently meant a bone deep ache literally everywhere. There was a snarl from behind her and she spun around, coming face to face with a group of either undead or possessed humans. Their bodies were twined with sickly, yellow cloth and a strange symbol, also yellow, was branded onto their person somewhere. All around her the landscape was strange and twisted, and a familiar smell teased her nose. _Well, well, back in Hell. Who'd have thought Hastur was a Lord here?_ she thought. She looked down and smiled as she spotted her trusty shotgun, back in its true form. All black iron and molten steel, hellfire in the barrel practically clawing to tear apart her enemies. The lead Possessed roared and charged, Laura's smile morphing into a confident smirk.

 

 


	2. Sand and Blood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yeah, this would be a hell of a project to expand and I hope that I have the chops to pull it off eventually. Mad Max AU plus supernatural Silas weirdness, yes, please! Also, I am aware that I have a thing for badass!Laura. It's kinda making Carm take a backseat, but she'd obviously have a bigger role in the full-length stories.

Carmilla's foot was pressed to the pedal hard enough she was worried she may soon just shove it through the floorboard. She forced herself not to dwell on it, simply keeping the car rumbling east as fast as possible.

 

_CRACK_

She looked into what was left of the rearview mirror and saw one of the plumes of dust following them turn to erratic columns of sand as the vampire skidded to a stop missing a leg below the knee. She turned her gaze to the Stranger standing on the passenger seat, foot braced on the lowered headrest, harness around her middle helping to mitigate the shaking of the car as it tore across the desert. She was all hard leather and sun-baked skin, the rifle in her hands bucking with another _CRACK_  as she took out the last of their pursuers.

 

"Last one," the Stranger all but croaked as she pulled the harness free and settled back in the seat, popping it level with her back and slamming shut the hatch in the roof. Her voice was rough from disuse. She grabbed a canteen from where it had tumbled to the floorboard and drank at a measured pace.

 

"How did you do that?" Carmilla was baffled at the ease with which the woman had literally dismantled Mother's efforts to retrieve them.

 

"Vampires are tough and fast," she took another sip, voice evening a bit as she talked, "but you still have to obey physics."

 

"Kinda hard to dodge or react properly at top speed, I get it."

 

She grunted in acknowledgment, nodding. "If they were smart, they would have tracked us and struck when the gas dried up."

 

"Forgive me if I'm relieved Mother sent idiots after Mattie and I," Carmilla shot back, sparing a look over her shoulder at her sister, still out cold in the backseat. "What's to stop the smart ones from doing just that?"

 

"How do vamps handle radioactive sandstorms?"

 

Taken aback, it took her a second to reply, "About as well as anything made of flesh. No cancer risk and we'd heal the cuts from the sand but it would hurt like hell."

 

"Then we'll be fine."

 

Hours later as the sun was setting, the Stranger called for Carmilla to stop. She'd been in the backseat, performing basic first aid on Mattie, had even drawn some blood to give her. Her wounds were healing well enough, and Carmilla was less afraid for her sister's life than she had been. As they rolled to a stop, the Stranger hopped out and stretched her legs for a second, motioning for Carmilla to move over. As they crested a hill, Carmilla's eyes blew wide, her jaw dropping open as she stared at the massive sandstorm in front of them. She sputtered at the Stranger as she steered them closer, "I thought you were kidding, what the hell are you playing at?"

 

"Relax, it's more than it seems," she replied. She guided the vehicle around the storm for a bit and then abruptly swung towards it. Carmilla bit back a scream as they cleared the storm's outer wall and was about to show the Stranger her ire when she gasped at the sight of their surroundings. The storm was being held back by something and whatever it was cleared a narrow path deeper into the maelstrom.

 

"What the fuck?"

 

"Old magic or old science, I never bothered to ask. Probably both."

 

"Ask who? Where are we going?"

 

"To the home of the Daughters of Summer. Apparently, they escaped from your Mother when the world was still whole."

 

"They survived!?" Carmilla remembered when the Summers had rioted. The ones that hadn't been slaughtered had fled  _as_  the bombs were falling, utterly opposed to her Mother's new status quo of human subservience.

 

"Some, they found place to lay low. Wasn't really interested in asking more the first time I came here. You have them to thank for your rescue as much as me."

 

"How so?"

 

"They told me about the Green that your Mother hoards. I wanted to see for myself. They have crops and trees, but to see nature just wild and growing as it pleases...it's beautiful," she breathed, quiet voice full of awe.

 

"It helps keep her humans appeased. They consider being living blood bags a small price to pay for living in a slice of the world as it was."

 

The Stranger growled a little in the back of her throat, the very idea seeming to offend her to her core, "Then she's as selfish as the Daughters say."

 

"Worse," Carmilla sighed, the Mother that had buried her alive was as a tame kitten compared to the tyrant absolute control had forged. That Mother had pretended to care, had feigned humanity, at the very least.

 

"Wait here," the Stranger said, parking amidst a copse of trees. Carmilla could see what she'd meant, there were indeed trees but they'd been planted evenly and looked as well-maintained as the ones on the campus proper at Silas. She heard a faint sound above and realized their purpose. They weren't decoration, they were cover. The Stranger walked forward, hands held high, and coughed to clear her throat. "Hail to the Daughters of Summer, Servants of Artemis, Stewards of the Land!"

 

"State your business, Wanderer!" A voice called back, seeming to come from everywhere at once.

 

"If you wouldn't mind, could we stop with the yelling?" she replied, voice a bit weaker and rougher. There was chattering and movement among the branches and eventually a woman flipped out of the canopy, ridiculously tall with red hair and a longbow held loosely in her hands.

 

"What are you doing back so soon?" the redhead asked, her voice hard but with a note of genuine curiosity. She looked into the car and started, nocking an arrow almost faster than Carmilla could track, "Vampire! You would dare?"

 

"Peace," the Stranger soothed, "they were fleeing the Green. I don't believe they mean any harm."

 

"You are more foolish than I believed to trust anyone from Her nest of depravity."

 

"The one in the backseat's wounds are real enough. As were the seven vampires that pursued."

 

"Seven? I know it must be a trick, then. No one escapes seven of the beasts and lives. Not even others of their kind."

 

The Stranger shrugged, "Get them on a straight path in the sand and it's easy enough to track them. Get them going fast enough and they have trouble being as nimble as they usually are. Plus, it's much harder to run with half your leg blown off."

 

Red stared her down, expression stern, "An impressive feat no matter how much you downplay it, Wanderer. Have you given any thought to my offer?"

 

"To stay? No."

 

"Well, it stands, you are as fine a warrior as any of my Sisters. This place could be home."

 

"No," she said again, flatly. Her eyes unfocused and she seemed miles away.

 

"Wanderer, do not let your ghosts consume you," Red called quietly, snapping in front of the Stranger's face. She grunted and nodded in thanks. "Do you vouch for them?"

 

"Hmm, yes, I don't think they will be any trouble, and you outnumber them quite a bit."

 

"True enough. Continue along the path and I will make sure a medic meets you at the compound."

 

"Thanks, Lawrence."

 

"I told you 'Danny' is fine."

 

The Stranger just turned towards the car as Danny shook her head and leapt back into the trees. Carmilla actually took the time to look at her as she settled back behind the wheel. Her matted, dark blonde hair was gathered in a low ponytail, she was about mid-20s, skin tanned from exposure to the sun, brown eyes staring ahead and just slightly unfocused again.

 

"Danny, huh? What should I call you? Things have been kind of hectic, hadn't thought to ask."

 

"Does it matter?"

 

"A little, you nearly got killed saving my sister and I for what? Compassion?"

 

"Maybe."

 

That was the last thing she said for a while. As they emerged into a larger bubble in the storm, she spotted a squat building surrounded by farmland and more carefully planted trees. Danny was waiting at the building's entrance along with a pair of redheads and a stretcher. The Stranger stopped the car next to another and turned off the ignition. She stayed there, silent for a few seconds, gripping the steering wheel hard as her jaw tightened. The silence had just begun to edge into awkwardness when she finally spoke again.

 

"Hollis."

 

"Hmm?"

 

"My last name, it'll do for now."

 

"Okay then. Hollis."

 

She nodded in response and got out, moving to the back door on her side and carefully lifting Mattie out of the car and into her arms. Carmilla just watched her, thoughts running in a thousand directions for a second before following.

 

* * *

 

Hollis tackled the vampire pinning Carmilla, her strength and the element of surprise just barely enough to dislodge him. She scooped up a broken arrow shaft from the ground and slammed it home in the vampire's heart just in time to stop his lunge in her direction. As he gurgled on his own blood next to her, she caught her breath. A little ragged from the broken ribs, but steady enough. Carmilla hauled her to her feet a second later, holding her tight for a moment.

 

"You keep saving me, cutie, and I'm gonna start getting ideas," she whispered, the husky tone of her voice almost masking the worry as she heard the labored breathing. Hollis just stared at her for a second, naked concern apparent as she took in the other woman's blood covered face, blackened eye, and the way she was noticeably favoring her right leg.

 

"Good," Hollis breathed roughly, grabbing the front of Carmilla's shirt and crashing their lips together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm such a sucker for mid-battle kisses.


	3. Responsibility

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, um, the creativity bug bit me big time tonight. Enjoy another weird AU with yet more badass!Laura. I need to give Carm some spotlight. I feel like I'm letting our favorite useless, lesbian vampire down. The crossover in this one is a little more pronounced and...immediate. I'm picturing the Big Time Suit for costume reference here, just Google that and you're good.

 

Laura was in better spirits than she had been lately as she left her Journalism class that afternoon. Her Dad's package with her backlog of freelance work in the Bugle had finally arrived. Now, Professor Cochrane had more than just her word that she'd been dabbling in photojournalism for years. The Professor had believed her, but the standing extra credit for actual outside-of-class reporting required documentation.

 

"Yo, frosh, what's put the kick in your step?"

 

"Oh, hey, LaF, Perry!" she greeted the two enthusiastically, throwing an arm across each of their shoulders. "Well, I finally got Prof. Cochrane the stuff she needed for my extra credit."

 

"Oh, the pictures you were telling us about. You know, some of that sounded awfully dangerous, hanging around battles between superhumans," Perry scolded her.

 

"I was fine, Spider-Woman's a friend, she'd never let anything happen to little ol' me," Laura shot back confidently, not letting on the real reason her career photographing superheroes had been so successful.

 

"Hmm, if you've been published in an honest-to-God newspaper, why are you so poor?"

 

"Susan!"

 

"LaFontaine."

 

"It's fine, Perry. The short answer is that my boss was a grade-A asshole."

 

"That would do it, yeah," LaF replied, looking thoughtful. "Think you could get me a sample of her blood?"

 

Laura dropped her arms and sputtered, "Why?"

 

"Science."

 

"What an illuminating answer," another voice deadpanned from behind them.

 

"Hello, Carmilla," Laura said, trying her best to be civil and not let her overly sarcastic roommate drag her down. "How long have you been stalking us?"

 

"Oh, just a bit, and it was more lurking than stalking, obviously."

 

She bit back a retort, determined not to be drawn into yet another vitriolic back-and-forth. Fortunately, their conversation was cut short by a flood of students all pelting at top speed past them. It took a little bit more strength that she realistically should have possessed but she yanked LaF and Perry out of the stampede's path. Screams began drifting from the direction the students had run from. The four ran toward the commotion, three curious and one concerned.

 

"Oh, Spider! Come out and play!" A loud voice boomed over the noise as they got closer and Laura froze so completely she almost fell over. The other three looked at her and were surprised by the genuine terror in her eyes.

 

"Laura, honey," Perry started, closing the distance and putting a hand on her shoulder, "are you okay?"

 

"No, no I am definitely not," she whispered, tears gathering in her eyes even as they hardened and she took off again towards the voice.

 

As it turned out, the commotion was in the large, open area just outside their dorm. A towering, male figure wrapped in black stood in the center, toying with a contingent of Campus Security. His muscles bulged and his mouth was more a maw of jagged teeth with a large, grotesque tongue. It looked like he was wearing a skintight suit of some sort, stylized white spider symbol emblazoned front and back, the eyes more vague white shapes than anything.

 

"Holy shit, is that who I think it is?" LaF's voice was strangled, and they unconsciously moved between Perry and what could only be...

 

"Venom," Laura breathed, her voice subdued. Her shoulders slumped and there was an almost defeated look in her eyes as she watched the supervillain snag a guard's weapon and yank him forward. The guard sprawled at Venom's feet, he reached down and picked the unfortunate man up by his wrists.

 

"It was a nice effort, but it will take more than a few guns to stop us," he roared and spun, flinging the poor bastard into the wall of the dorm, where he impacted with a wet _thump_  and went still.

 

"Laura!" Danny's voice came from their right. She ran up and hugged Laura tight, "I'm glad you're alright, but you guys need to get out of here."

 

Laura was still slumped and didn't seem to really be paying attention. She was just staring at the broken, battered forms of the Security officers who'd responded. _I came here to get away from all this._ She looked up at her dorm room window, and remembered the still-unopened box beneath her bed. _But I can't just sit and watch, can I? Never could._  Danny was nearly sent sprawling as Laura broke her grip and took off running for the dorm's back door, thankfully on the side away from Venom.

 

"Crap," Danny muttered. She let out an odd call and suddenly there were six of her Summer sisters dashing towards them. "If they can't handle it, we'll just have to."

 

"Are you insane, Danny? You do remember who this is, right?"

 

"If we stay out of the way, I'm sure the Dean will handle it," Carmilla argued, but sounded uncertain. Supervillains weren't exactly her purview, but Mother was _very_  powerful. She didn't particularly like Lawrence, either, but she'd also rather not have to try and forget the image of her being splattered across the grass.

 

"Like she's handled the missing girls? Is she just gonna make him disappear and pretend none of this happened?"

 

Their arguing was interrupted as Venom snarled in frustration, the last officer having just been plucked from his grasp as he went for the kill.

 

"You know, Brock, I liked you better when you were just a blowhard with no powers."

 

"Spider! How nice of you to finally join us, we were getting bored!"

 

They all started as the black clad figure of Spider-Woman landed among them, the neon lines on her costume shining bright even in the afternoon sun. Her voice was noticeably altered as she handed the last officer to Danny, the woman's leg badly broken, "Take care of her."

 

"We can help."

 

"Yeah, you can, by getting everyone out of here," Despite the alteration, her tone made it clear she'd be having no arguments. Danny let out a resigned sigh and motioned for her sisters to surround them as she helped the officer hobble away. She turned to LaF next, "I hear you're pretty smart."

 

"It's been said."

 

"I need a way to generate either extreme heat or powerful sonic waves."

 

"Doable, be right back," LaF grabbed Perry and took off for the Physics building, those nerds owed them a favor anyway. "Carmilla, gonna need you for this."

 

"Why?"

 

"Very large, sciencey objects and I'm not a super-strong vampire."

 

"Ugh, fine," Carmilla threw up her hands and took off after the redheads.

 

Venom was simply waiting patiently in the center of the field, absently picking at his nails with his symbiote pulled back from his hands. "We're sorry, Spider, we thought we were scheduled to tear you apart."

 

"Wait, you were waiting on me? I thought I was waiting on you. So sorry, one beatdown coming up!" she yelled and leapt right for Venom, his smile impossibly wide because of the symbiote and more than a bit disturbing. At the last second she cast a webline at the dorm and yanked, changing her momentum abruptly and causing him to overextend. When he looked back up she was nowhere to be found.

 

"Are we still doing this, little Spider? Your stupid disappearing act?"

 

"Apparently," she reappeared sliding towards him, transitioning into a handspring when she got close. Both her feet met his chin hard, his head snapping back. She cast another web and pulled herself out of his range. He jumped after her and slammed into the side of building as she hit it and dodged. They were now facing off standing sideways on the dorm, each tensed, waiting for the other to move. Venom's impatience won out and he dove for her, she jumped and cast a line from each hand. They connected on either side of her target and she again made contact with both feet. He grunted but recovered quickly, spinning fast enough to backhand her across the quad. She hissed in pain and clutched her stomach, was she really this out of shape? She barely looked back up in time to roll out of the way, scrambling back to her feet as Venom's hammer blow left a small crater in the lawn. She hit his fists, still entwined from the attempt, with a blob of webbing that exploded across them and his face.

 

"You pest!" he bit out, yanking at the webbing, trying hard to free himself. She hit the blob with a line of webbing and ran towards Venom, jumping over as she neared and giving a hefty tug on the web in her hand when she landed.

 

"Stop hitting yourself," she taunted as the web pulled taut, his elbows buckling and sending his fists solidly into his own face.

 

"Spider, we really, really hate you," he groaned, shaking his head as she pulled again. This time he ducked and pulled back, stumbling a bit as she released the line. He broke the web with a growl and let out a noise of frustration upon seeing that she'd vanished again. An idea came to him and he waited a second for her to close in and then roared, releasing a massive number of sharp tendrils outward in every direction. There was a yelp, and he smiled as he drew them back. He turned and saw her laying on her back a few feet behind him, hand clutched to her shoulder. She'd only barely avoided that hole being through her heart. "Well, it seems our good-for-nothing offspring had at least one good idea."

 

"Yep, good, old Carnage, always around to teach his dear father new tricks," she groaned, trying her best to get to her feet, the pain near-blinding. "I always thought he had your eyes."

 

Venom calmly stalked over and stomped down on her chest. She screamed and struggled to breathe against the weight. "Talk all you want little Spider, we think it's time to finally squash you." He began pressing down and she could practically hear her ribs begin to creak. She weakly raised her good arm in a last act of defiance and webbed over his stupid grin. Her reward was another stomp and three broken ribs. "Any last words?"

 

"Getting killed by a meathead with an IQ less than his age is a real bummer."

 

Another stomp, two more broken ribs. Yep, she was definitely gonna die. She hoped Danny and LaF could figure out what had happened to the missing girls, that Perry would keep them from getting into too much trouble, and a small, rebellious part of her brain was totally gonna miss her roommate's penchant for leather pants. Just as she was imagining whether or not her Dad would be sad or angry, Venom began screaming above her, clutching his hands to his head before leaping away. She weakly turned her head and saw Carmilla, standing there wearing what could only be called tactical earmuffs and holding some sort of device larger than she was. Venom recovered and cast a line of web that Carmilla dodged easily. A small _beep_  coming from the device brought a wicked grin to her face and she blasted the villain again. Last time must have been a glancing blow because, this time, half of the symbiote was torn away and Eddie's screams could be heard alongside it. He fell to his knees, naked from the waist up, his suit desperately trying to reform. Another _beep_  and he barely got his bearings enough to roll away, still losing a leg of his suit.

 

"Argh! Next time, Spider, next time," his voice was pained but murderous as he plunged his hand into the suit at his waist. The symbiote reformed his web shooter in time to snag a building and pull himself away as another  _beep_ sounded from the device.

 

Carmilla was at her side in an instant, setting the device where she could easily retrieve it, but reaching for her. She held up a hand, "Five broken ribs, who knows how many cracked or bruised, big hole in my shoulder, just let me lay here for a sec." Her breathing was distinctly unhealthy and her speech was more gasping than words.

 

"You know, Cupcake, I never pictured you for the crime-fighting in pajamas crowd. Though it does explain your illustrious career with the Daily Bugle."

 

"Don't know what you're talking about."

 

"Laura, your blood's everywhere, I can smell it."

 

"Everywhere, huh? That can't be good."

 

"Definitely not. I'm guessing this isn't something you want advertised to the whole school?"

 

"Nope."

 

Carmilla sighed, and gingerly picked her up, moving at a fast pace that was at least a little gentle on her injuries. She carried her into their room, and deliberately set her in the wrong bed.

 

"Carmilla?"

 

"Used to blood on my sheets, cutie. Now how do I get this mask off?"

 

Laura rolled her head to the side. Carmilla saw a small button the same color as the suit itself and pressed it, causing the mask's material to go slack and disconnect from the body. She pulled it off and stuffed it under her sheets with Laura, wrapping the smaller girl up in her comforter. She tilted her head for a second before asking, "What should I tell them?"

 

"I'm from New York. Just tell them I've met Venom before. It's not a lie and post-villain PTSD is fairly well-documented."

 

"Sneaky, I'll be back soon and they'll probably want to see you."

 

"Fine."

 

"The deception stands on one condition."

 

"What?"

 

"I take you to the hospital tonight, discreetly."

 

"Ugh, fine. As long as you know a doctor that won't freak out when he sees my skin fixing itself way faster than normal."

 

"I think I know a guy."

 

Carmilla left the room then, returning in about ten minutes with Danny, LaF, and Perry. Laura pretended to be asleep. Putting on the suit again had been exhausting enough, let alone dealing with her injuries. She heard Danny call her name and then footsteps, but Carmilla headed her off, explaining their cover story. Thankfully, Perry took Carmilla's side on letting her sleep and Danny backed down. They stayed for a few more minutes before dispersing, LaF complaining about having to haul the whatever-it-was that had saved her life back to the Physics department.

 

"What the hell was that thing, anyway?" she asked, after Carmilla had closed and locked the door, for the first time she could remember.

 

"The way LaF explains it, the guys over in the Physics department got bored and lonely and were trying to recreate a Siren's song, only to lure in women. A few explosions and mistakes later, the most powerful sonic cannon on the continent."

 

"...sounds like Silas, alright. Hey, Carm?"

 

"Yeah?"

 

"Thanks. I wasn't ready to put this suit back on. I had to, though, and I'm glad you had my back."

 

"Anytime, Laura."

 

* * *

 

Carmilla watched over Laura in her hospital bed, bandaged and drugged up to her eyeballs. Her Mother's staff physician knew better than to ask questions or linger in the room. Mother retained him for exactly that reason, he was damn good at his job and knew when to pretend things weren't happening. She heard a small noise and saw Laura begin to shift and shake.

 

"Gwen..."

 

Laura had apparently burned through the drugs. Where once she was sleeping like a rock she was now calling out quietly and thrashing.

 

"Gwen!"

 

Carmilla was reaching to wake her when she bolted upright, hand held out in front of her, tears pooling in her eyes. She looked around the room, confused. She locked eyes with Carmilla and the vampire could feel the sorrow in them like a weight on her heart. She barely had time to brace herself as Laura practically launched herself at her, wrapping Carmilla tightly in her arms and sobbing loudly into her shoulder. Carmilla gasped as Laura squeezed, acutely reminded of the smaller girl's immense strength. She dimly remembered news footage of Spider-Woman catching a police cruiser tossed into the air by the Rhino as she embraced Laura in return and let her cry. She wondered who Gwen was, but Laura had respected her secrets, so she'd do the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As the subtitles say, "Who's useless now?" Carm decided she was gonna be the hero of this piece as I was writing, and I can't blame her for wanting to protect tiny, gay Spider-Laura. Oh, and for those who need a refresher on Spidey stuff, the reason the spider-sense wasn't mentioned is because Venom is like a blank spot in it. In a full-length, it would most definitely come up.


	4. An Old Friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by the amazing Obsidian3 and their story The Reckoning (highly recommended), I've been trying to conceptualize a crossover between Carmilla and the MCU beginning in WWII when Carm is discovered by Cap and his Howling Commandos after she wakes. I'm still thinking on that and working on my current main fic, but I thought this would be kind of a cool scene to write that features two of my favorite fictional characters. Plus, go watch the end of The First Avenger again, Cap could use a friend, and a hug.

 

 

 

 

"Has she moved at all since she got here?"

 

"Nope, not an inch."

 

"Can't imagine what that was like, losing a friend and then just poof, back from the dead."

 

"Well, there's a chance it's not the first time."

 

"Oh, yeah, I totally forget sometimes. Man, that was the weirdest part of the SHIELD briefing."

 

"Yeah, 'Everything awful you've ever heard a bedtime story or watched a horror movie about is real, now let's get started learning how to fight back.'"

 

Carmilla had to admit the slightly less annoying one's impression of Fury wasn't terrible. Didn't stop a small part of her brain from demanding she tear him in half to stop the gossip. Or, at least, give them something else to gossip about. She put Dee and Dum out of her mind as she returned her attention to the man on the bed in front of her. He still looked exactly the same, like she hadn't felt hollow for a good decade after his "death," like she hadn't comforted a broken-hearted woman who'd loved him, like she hadn't put the very limits of her vampiric constitution to the test toasting his memory with the friends he'd left behind. When she'd gotten the call, believing Fury hadn't even occurred to her at first. She'd raged and snarled at him, thinking it was some kind of manipulation on the old spy's part. When she'd finally let herself hope, she'd abruptly hung up and collapsed, sobbing at what she knew lay in her best friend's future. The graves of comrades long passed, the might-have-beens. She thought it ironic, before she'd met Steve Rogers, she'd never felt what humans always mused was the main downside of immortality. Her Mother hadn't allowed her to really get attached, to make friends, to care about anyone enough that she keenly felt their loss. Ell had been the first and last of her old life, but even that had been soured by her Mother. It was Steve that had helped her open up, to give enough of a shit that it hurt when they were gone.

 

By the time she had pulled herself together, Fury had graciously apologized to himself on her behalf and secured her a ride to where Steve was convalescing. She'd rolled her eyes at the setup, but was unable to convince Fury that it was unnecessary. Steve was a straight shooter, and he'd always appreciate honesty more than some half-assed attempt to spare his feelings. After the second failed attempt, she'd stopped wasting her breath and simply muscled her way to her friend's bedside and planted herself in a chair nearby.

 

"Do you think he'll wake up?"

 

"Of course, this  _is_ Captain America we're talking about here."

 

The guards were wholly unneeded and very much unappreciated, as well. Especially these two, they apparently hadn't listened during training about the capabilities of various supernatural creatures. She could hear them through the thin, false walls, and all they ever did was talk about her and gush about how awesome Captain America was. It grated on her more on Steve's behalf. The hero worship had never once failed to make him deeply uncomfortable. He was just a soldier, he would say, doing his job like everyone else. If he were a little better at that job than some others, that just meant he could more effectively help those who needed it. Just because he understood and had even come to like the uniform and the associated symbolism didn't mean he had ever settled into being a "hero." Which, she mused with a faint smile, was part of what truly made him one. He was the kind of man who worried about the well-being of a woman who'd just tried to kill him in a panicked frenzy while caked with dried blood. She smiled as she remembered her barely functioning brain trying to reconcile her actions with the concern he'd shown. A full laugh escaped as she remembered that same face blankly staring as she'd explained what she was.

 

A groan from the bed brought her reminiscing to an abrupt halt. Steve's eyes slowly blinked open, as bright and blue as they'd always been. He took a moment to look around the room, eyes widening as they landed on Carmilla, who was smiling brightly, tears gathering in her eyes and lip quivering slightly. Neither said a word, just holding the other's gaze as Steve tried hard to remember what was happening and Carmilla tried not to throw herself at him.

 

He sat up slowly, "Carm, what's going on, where am I? Last thing I remember is crashing that HYDRA monstrosity."

 

The reminder of how they'd lost him was too much and she could feel the tears escaping, small sobs breaking free. Steve pushed aside his questions and opened up his arms. She was at his side in an instant, arms wrapped around his middle as she buried her face in his chest, the contact helping to remind her that, yes, the best friend she'd ever had was really here. However unlikely, however miraculous, he was alive and she'd never been happier. He didn't say anything, just held her as she cried, but knew something was definitely wrong. Carmilla wasn't exactly an emotions kind of gal, as anyone who'd spent five minutes around her knew. He'd seen her cry exactly twice. Once when she'd stopped disconnecting with her past and really mourned the girl she had been and the girls that had been taken by her Mother, and again when Bucky died. They'd both been a wreck after that, Buck had taken as much of a shine to the normally cantankerous vampire as all of the other Commandos had. Steve had teased him once about nursing a crush, but had never known if that was true or not. Unrequited feelings notwithstanding, the two had shared a close friendship full of banter and barbs targeted at one another. He heard her breathing even out a bit and she pulled back, her eyes and smile soft as she looked at him.

 

She gathered herself and sat up, but held onto his hand, "You got the job done, soldier boy, but the ice you crashed in put you in a kind of cryogenic stasis. You've been, for lack of a better term, asleep for...seventy years."

 

His face crumpled, and he just stared at her. He searched her eyes, trying to convince himself that this was all some kind of cruel joke, but he knew her. Once they'd become friends she'd never been anything less than honest with him. "Peggy?"

 

She squeezed his hand and smiled sadly, "She's still around, but she's not doing great these days. Always was burned up about that dance you owed her."

 

He let out a watery chuckle and gripped her hand tightly enough that it would have shattered if she'd been human. She wasn't though, and Steve knew that, he was the one who'd helped her come to terms with it. "So, what have you been up to?"

 

She knew a subject change when she heard one, but also knew not to push. Steve was one of those people who just occasionally needed time to process, but he'd get there. "This and that, tracking down my Mother, looking after Howard's brat, punching other vampires in the face."

 

"If you find your mom, you be sure and give me a call. I have quite a few choice words for her, and a number of punches to the face the Commandos owe her on your behalf."

 

"I'll hold you to that, Cap."

 

"I'm looking forward to it." He grinned, and she was relieved to see it was genuine. There was still a deep sorrow in his eyes, but she knew he'd come out the other side of this. Steve Rogers wasn't a man that grief could defeat. "What's with the room, by the way?"

 

"Fury's idea. He's the head of the modern equivalent of the SSR, SHIELD. He wanted to ease you into the 21st century, thus the time capsule. He wouldn't listen to me, so I thought it best just to be here for you when you woke up."

 

"Well, I'm glad you were."

 

"Me, too." He pulled her back in for another hug and she smiled as she returned it. There was still so much wrong in the world. Her Mother was still out there somewhere, abducting young women. Tony was still dependent on technology to even stay alive and hellbent on throwing himself into trouble wherever he found it. There were ever-increasing reports out of New York City of stranger and stranger superhuman criminals only barely being stopped by some girl in spandex, of all things. All of that darkness, though, meant nothing, because a future where Steve Rogers was alive again was an undeniably bright one.

 

* * *

 

Laura looked about ready to burst out of her tights she was full of so many questions. Standing next to her surly roommate was the man who had inspired her to use her powers for good. The Man Out of Time himself, the First Avenger, the Star-Spangled Man With a Plan. Carmilla rolled her eyes as she watched Laura pace the ceiling excitedly.

 

"Calm down, Cupcake."

 

"Carm, you're friends with freaking CAPTAIN AMERICA!"

 

"And you're Spider-Woman."

 

Laura at least had the decency to look sheepish. It wasn't like Carm had even really hidden the fact that she was FRIENDS WITH CAPTAIN FREAKING AMERICA, she just didn't call him that. She looked at the man in question and could have kicked herself at how uncomfortable he looked. She dropped from the ceiling she'd leapt to in her excitement and took a deep breath. She walked over to Steve and smiled, extending her hand, "Sorry, let's start over, I'm Laura Hollis."

 

"Steve Rogers, nice to meet you, ma'am."

 

"I'm really sorry I freaked out. I was...kind of...lost back when this," she motioned to her costume, "happened. Your story made me think I could, maybe, do some good."

 

"I just did what anyone else would have."

 

"The fun part, cutie, is that he really believes that."

 

Steve shot Carmilla a look and she just smirked. Laura just looked back and forth between the two, the last vestiges of her impression of Carmilla as a barely social, lazy, worst roommate ever candidate falling away. That was who she'd had to be. With Steve around, she was seeing her as she truly was. They seemed more like siblings than friends, gently teasing one another and taking care of each other with a frankly intimidating ferocity. The image of Captain America in full regalia swooping in to save her and Carm was still firmly planted in her mind. The anger she'd seen him direct at the Dean had seemed out of place at the time, but now she understood. That woman had tortured Carmilla her whole life, and he was intent on making her face the consequences. _You might even say he's...Avenging her._  She cackled at her own joke, prompting Steve and Carmilla to turn to her in unison with practically the same look of confusion on their faces. Which, of course, just made her laugh harder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you go, hope everyone had a fun feels trip. And yeah, I'm actually thinking of rolling these last two ideas into one story, I think it could be cool.


	5. Choice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, more random plot ideas! I've got quite a few. In this case, Carmilla is still a vampire, just another kind from what the Dean creates. I'm thinking of maybe making it a crossover with Castlevania, probably in the Lords of Shadow universe (which has its own Laura and Carmilla that will be carefully ignored or somehow worked in, no idea). It did inspire the idea. Apparently in LoS, according to the wiki, vampirism has to be consensual. Unless you're Dracula, of course, in which case you force feed your kid, who you didn't know was your kid, your blood trying to save him and his turning takes multiple decades. *shrugs* Would we love Castlevania even half as much if it wasn't so fucking weird? It's also a blatant excuse to play with one of my favorite vampire tropes. Specifically, that vampires can gain the memories of those they drink from. I don't know, blame Hellsing, I think it's a cool trope.

"Laura are you sure about this?" LaFontaine asked, head moving wildly as they tried to spot any possible threat through the dense woods. 

 

"No, but if the Dean wiped this building off the map, maybe this is where she's keeping the missing girls." It's not that Laura didn't understand their concerns, it did seem more than a little insane to be walking through the forest surrounding Silas in the middle of the night heading towards a building they had found on the school's original plans. That it was just the two of them probably wasn't all that intelligent either. LaF had wanted to call Danny, but the tall redhead had royally pissed Laura off with her overprotectiveness. Her glare when LaF had suggested it said all that needed to be said, really.

 

"I guess, but I still think we're throwing ourselves headfirst over the line from brave to stupid."

 

Laura didn't reply, and privately kind of agreed, but she was determined to find her roommate. Betty had been a good friend for the two weeks they had known one another. At least they hadn't tried to give her another roommate, she probably would have bitten their head off. The trees began to thin out and they eventually came upon a nondescript shack, bathed in moonlight in the center of a small clearing. "Okay, LaF, you keep watch. Yell if you see or hear anything."

 

"Wait, we're splitting up? Isn't that, like, mistake number one?"

 

"Well, probably, but it's only the two of us and I'd rather not have anyone get the drop on us."

 

"Fair point. Fine, I'll stay out here, but be careful. There's no telling what kind of crazy is in there."

 

"I know." Laura walked to the door and reached slowly for the handle. She stayed standing there for a full minute, until LaF gave a little cough and she gave them a sheepish smile before carefully opening the door. There was nothing inside. She moved into the empty space, leaving the door partially open, and stared around in disbelief at the unoccupied space. This made no sense. Why would the building have been erased from the campus map if there was nothing here? Looking around, she noticed something else that didn't fit. The building was relatively well kept and in good repair. She groaned at yet another conundrum when she literally tripped over the answer. Even with the beam of her flashlight, she hadn't noticed the matte black ring on the floor at first. With a cry of triumph, she set aside the flashlight and gave a hard tug on the handle. It took every ounce of muscle she had, but she finally opened the trap door, all sense of victory dying at the pitch black that waited below. She picked up her flashlight and gasped as the beam was consumed by the dark. Shaking off the terror that gripped her heart, she crouched and slowly lowered a hand into the open space. Her entire body shivered at the freezing temperature within the dark, but she grit her teeth and pushed on...another inch before finding what she assumed was the top step of a staircase. Wondering, not for the first time, if she really was a little insane, she began to descend the stairs, carefully feeling for the edge with her foot each time. It felt like she had fallen through the ice into a frozen pond. She wrapped her arms around her middle and clenched her jaw to keep her teeth from chattering. It took her almost fifteen minutes to find the bottom of the stairs. She found the wall with a hand and hugged it as the unnatural dark still wrapped around her. Another ten minutes of picking her way down a straight hallway, she was nearly blinded as a pair of torches ignited themselves on either side of a door at the end.

 

"Laura! You okay down there?" LaF's voice called, making her jump.

 

"Yeah, I'm good," she shouted back, taking a deep breath to calm down. Breathing had seemed more difficult in the unnatural darkness, and she was glad to be rid of it. The door in front of her was thick and wooden. There was no handle, so she gave it a push, surprised when it swung open easily. More torches self-ignited in the small room beyond. It was barely bigger than a prison cell. In the center was a large, stone coffin, itself in the center of a strange pattern drawn on the ground in what she really hoped wasn't blood. She cautiously stepped closer, her curiosity overpowering her better judgment. The coffin itself was also adorned with strange carvings and runes, none of which she could read. What she could make out was a name inscribed on the lid, "Mircalla." So, the Dean was hiding a...person? Hmm, maybe it was a tomb for someone the Dean cared for? She looked at the runes and the sigil most definitely drawn in blood, and decided against that. Maybe this Mircalla was an enemy, someone who could help stop the Dean. She paced the small room as she weighed her options. One the one hand, this was a terrible idea and, on the other, it was still a terrible idea but might work out in the end. "To heck with it," she whispered and planted her feet, positioning her hands on the lid. She took a deep breath, prayed to anyone listening, and gave a hard shove. It barely moved, but she wasn't going to give up now. She kept pushing and pushing until finally the lid was at an angle and she could see inside. Within was a beautiful, pale brunette, clad in a simple white dress. She stared at the woman, wondering if she was still alive. Her answer came in the form of the woman's eyes snapping open. She barely caught a glimpse of burning red eyes before she was on her back and a piercing pain shot through her body.

 

* * *

 

Carmilla slowly regained true consciousness. Her mind and vision clearing as the blood flowed past her lips. _Blood?_  She pulled back and stared in horror at the small blonde she was straddling. The side of the girl's throat was practically torn out and her eyes stared stunned at the vampire atop her. _No, no, no..._ she repeated the word as a mantra. Here she was, finally free of whatever imprisonment her Mother had inflicted upon her and the first thing she'd done was kill her rescuer. "Laura, Laura, please don't die." _Laura? How do I-?_  A rush of images flashed in her mind. A jovial man with a loving smile, the cold feel of a tombstone beneath her hand, a small building amidst a dark forest. _What is happening? I've never..._ Another memory hit her, this one her own. She was weak, barely clinging to life, a pale, angelic face hovering over her.

 

_"Mircalla, if I could give you the chance to live, would you take it?"_

_Her voice was barely a whisper, "I don't understand."_

_"Time is short, I need you to answer. To live as...something else or die as you are."_

_"I don't want to die."_

_"But are you prepared to live as something more?"_

_"Yes." A sharp pain in her neck, something warm flowing past her lips._

_"Sleep, young one, and when you wake, I shall explain everything."_

Laura coughed, a few drops of blood splattering across Carmilla's already stained cheeks. Mother had always told them that only she held the secrets of immortality, that she, and she alone, would pull those who she deemed worthy back from the jaws of death, but the memory had felt too real to be some kind of hopeful delusion. She looked at the dying girl again. If it didn't work, it didn't work, but she had to try. She moved to slit a wrist, but paused, something telling her that the consent hadn't been a mere courtesy, but a necessity. She opened her mouth and rasped, "Laura, I can help you, but you have to decide. Live or die?"

 

The girl's voice was barely more than forced air, "What?"

 

"I can make you like me, but I need you to make that choice."

 

"Like," _cough_ , "you?"

 

"A vampire."

 

For a moment, terror gripped Carmilla's heart as she didn't respond, her eyes going a little glassy. Then her jaw was working again, having difficulty speaking now. "Y-y-essssss," her voice trailed off in a hiss and Carmilla felt herself being to panic. Uncaring of any damage to her self, she tore open her wrist and pressed it to Laura's lips, making sure the blood found its way down her throat. Not knowing how much was needed, she gave as much as she could stand before pulling back.

 

"Laura?" a voice called from down a hallway she could see through the still-open door. Carmilla sat next to Laura, unsure of what to do, if she should respond and explain. It was unlikely whoever was up there would hear her out, but, she looked at the now-unconscious girl, she owed it to her to try. Lifting Laura into her arms, she walked down the hallway and up the stairs. "What the fuck?" Carmilla looked at the redhead stumbling and falling back out the door. LaFontaine was their name, she knew. She had seen them in Laura's memories. She didn't know what to say. Couldn't find the words to articulate what had happened, or how deeply apologetic she was.

 

"I'm sorry," was all she could think of.

 

"What the hell did you do?" LaFontaine thundered, shock transforming very quickly into rage.

 

"She opened the tomb I was sealed in. I have been starving for nearly a century, I only really came to when she was already dying," Carmilla replied, sorrow coloring her tone. "When I had already..."she trailed off, setting Laura softly on the ground and stepping away. LaFontaine was at her side in a flash, fingers pressed to the side of her throat.

 

"Dammit, Laura, I told you this was a bad idea," LaFontaine muttered to themselves as they sat down next to their friend, feeling useless. "She's gone. Fuck."

 

They sat in silence, LaFontaine trying hard not to break down, and convinced that the vampire was just watching to enjoy the moment before they were next. Carmilla just stared at Laura, hoping against hope that her memory had been accurate. She was also sifting through a lot of conflicting information in her mind. She suddenly remembered the night she had been turned in two very different ways. One, the one she had believed for most of her life, featured her Mother in her usual role. The other starred the woman she had seen earlier, charming her on the dance floor and talking with her through the night until they had been interrupted by her father and apparent groom-to-be. The two had pulled her into an adjoining room and revealed the engagement to her. The ensuing intense argument had resulted in one losing their temper and very nearly beating her to death before the woman had torn both to literal pieces. She couldn't remember her name, but she remembered pieces of the time they spent together, before Mother had killed her and taken the young Mircalla as her own. It was a troubling disconnect, and was giving her quite the headache.

 

_thump-thump_

The sound of a weak heartbeat pulsed in her ears like thunder. She sat on Laura's other side. Both she and LaFontaine watched, disbelieving, as the wound on her throat began to close.

 

"What did you do?" LaFontaine asked.

 

"I gave her a choice. She didn't want to die." Carmilla kept her tone even, trying not to betray how uncertain and miserable she had been. She had vowed to herself as she was sealed away that, if she were to be freed, there would never be another Ell. Never again would she be responsible for the ignoble death of a young woman who didn't deserve such a cruel fate. It was almost as if Mother had planned it, that she would come so close to breaking that promise within seconds of being released.

 

"So you made her a vampire?"

 

"Yes."

 

* * *

 

_Ugh, someone get the number of that truck?_ Laura thought, struggling to wake up. Her eyes blinked open slowly and she saw LaF leaning over her looking teary-eyed. "LaF, what happened?"

 

"You, uh, kinda...died...a bit."

 

Laura just gaped at her friend for a second before she caught sight of the woman from the coffin out of the corner of her eye. Everything came flooding back, and she looked at the woman for a second, "Why did you save me?"

 

She remained silent for a moment before murmuring, "I didn't want my first act as a free woman to be murder."

 

Laura thought on that for a second, not sure if she was being told the whole truth, but not wanting to push too hard, lest the woman vanish and leave her with no answers and no idea what to expect, "So, what, I'm a vampire now?"

 

"Yeah, check it out," LaF pulled up their phone to let Laura see herself in the camera. Her skin was paler than usual and her eyes were now the same red as the woman's. She opened her mouth, and caught sight of elongated canines.

 

"Holy crap," she sighed, "I guess this is what I get for poking around dangerous areas after dark."

 

"I told you so."

 

"I'm sorry, LaF, it just as easily could have been you. I should have just sucked it up and asked Danny."

 

"Damn right. Did you find anything down there besides a heap of trouble?" They motioned towards the other vampire, who rolled her eyes.

 

"Nope, there were a bunch of runes and sigils and stuff that make me think she was sealed in."

 

"Really? I'll go take a look." Before anyone could say another word, they took off into the shack, no doubt to take samples and poke their nose into every available corner.

 

"Soooo..." Laura trailed off, not sure what to say.

 

"I'm sorry," the woman moved in close, taking her hand and meeting her eyes, her body language pleading and contrite.

 

"It's alright, I'm the one who did the dumb thing and opened up a strange coffin in the middle of the woods buried under a building wiped off the map by our evil Dean. You know, when you say it out loud like that, one could make a case for me having a death wish or something."

 

The woman smiled at her rambling, "I know why you came out here, Laura, and it wasn't a death wish. You have a good heart."

 

"Wha-how do you know my name?"

 

"When I drank from you, it was like I was seeing your life through your eyes. It does leave us on uneven footing, since the same doesn't seem to have happened for you after drinking from me. I'm Carmilla."

 

"Whoa, so you saw, like, everything?" She paused to reconsider, "Oh God, you saw everything. If you tell anyone about the first time I tried alcohol, I will _end_  you."

 

Calling up the appropriate memory, Carmilla broke down in a fit of laughter. At Laura's pout, she laughed even harder, "The scrunched up face is adorable...Creampuff."

 

"Not. One. Word."

 

"Is it all confectionery you have a fetish for, or just those?"

 

Laura's pout deepened, "You're mean."

 

"I aim to please."


End file.
